Panamainfo’s Blog

I just spent a weekend visiting Cerro La Vieja Hotel (CLV) in a private nature reserve in the mountains of Cocle province hosted by owner Alfonso Jaen and his fine family. Alfonso Jaen along with Carlos Alfaro of Los Quetzales in Chiriqui and Raul Arias de Para of Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge is a ecotourism pioneer.

From Panama City it took me just 2.5 hours by car to get there and the roads were good (Unlike 5 years ago when I first visited.). CLV is half an hour from the city of Penonome on the Panamerican highway.

For me the ideal “relaxation vacation” is somewhere where I can be completely surrounded by nature and totally “away from it all”. CLV fits the bill perfectly. Cerro La Vieja has the most beautiful mountain views in Panama, what Frommers Guide calls “drop-dead views”. These are panoramic mountain views of strangely shaped mountains that make for a kind of enchanted scene. I enjoyed these views from the hammock on the private terrace of my cabin and also from the common dining room. What could be better at meal time 3 times a day than to enjoy up close views a spectacular mountain right close.

The hotel grounds and the whole reserve are covered by beautiful flowers and trees- Alfonso has been reforesting for many years and it shows- the birds are back big time.

In addition to these mountain views, the reserve also has one of Panama’s most beautiful and accessible waterfalls. Alfonso is finishing up a new more upscale cabin overlooking the fall and planning several more. On our first trip our family enjoyed swimming in the pool at the base of the fall.

Another attraction of CLV is the local campesino population. Alfonso has a close relationship with the local campesinos and the mutual respect and affection is obvious. As we drove around in his large SUV truck he picked up and dropped off people who needed ride along the way and chatted with the various workers employed at the hotel and his organic farm. Alfonso is also a pioneer in organic farming in Panama.

One activity of the new America tour group staying at CLV is that they will visit the home of a typical campesino family and share a typical meal prepared by the family. This is what is called now “authentic’ tourism and it is increasingly popular. Panama could excel in authentic tourism. These Americans see another way of life and get an appreciation for the campesinos life and first hand education about disparities between the US and campesino life in the developing world.

Many talk about sustainable eco and ethnotourism which means preserving both nature and authentic local culture. Alfonso Jaen embodies it. He loves and preserves both nature and the local people and their culture. Because of this and many years of patient work, his efforts to create sustainable ecotourism are now taking off and rightly so.